This is so wird, I just want one to support the weirdness A new game every week? Presumably subscription-based - which I'm less wild about.
Playdate – A New Handheld Gaming System
321–330 of 424 posts
Re: Playdate – A New Handheld Gaming System
#322Earlier quoted context omitted.
The problem with single-purpose devices is they're a frivolous cost. When your phone can do everything, buying a separate dedicated device is inherently impractical. Of course, impracticality is also what tends to give things charm. Put differently, limitations create interest, but they're also the opposite of cost-effective.
Touchscreens can’t [yet] replace a dedicated keypad for games. That’s why you don’t see many platformers for mobile. The ones that do exist auto run for you or put virtual buttons on the screen, which I haven’t found to work well.
Not even digital controls could really replace analog controls. While as impressive as the Pubg controllers (essentially a gamepad with a dock) are I'm still amazed there is still no "the one mobile analog input" device is out yet.
Re: Playdate – A New Handheld Gaming System
#323I personally love weird single-purpose hardware. Unfortunately it tends not to do very well commercially. Anybody remember this guy? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WikiReader
When hardware is increasingly becoming just a way to interface with a larger platform (IoT, game console subscription services, etc.), I think there will be a certain nostalgia for more static, tactile and analog hardware. I collect records, own a couple pocket operators, and buy physical books for similar reasons. Single-purpose hardware has identity. It has explicit purpose. If it is well-designed, it has an interf…
In my experience, single-purpose hardware also lasts longer because it isn’t as reliant on software updates and maintenance.
Re: Playdate – A New Handheld Gaming System
#324Earlier quoted context omitted.
Then you do you. But you don’t have to be a buzzkill about it.
it's not even accurate - nintendo labo has shown there is a market for high spec high quality non standard games(as long as there is an assurance of quality behind it) biggest hurdle for playdate is word of mouth - nintendo has that trust, i don't trust the company behind this. Same reason that android console failed - hell nvidia couldn't get enough support behind it
I don't see Panic approaching this as a "console" and looking for outside platform support. This is more like ten $15 Game-and-Watches bundled together.
If they offer more games after the fact that's cool, but at this price point I think most customers will love it for what it is.
Re: Playdate – A New Handheld Gaming System
#325Earlier quoted context omitted.
Very well known in the music/synth world thanks to their OP-1, which I bought 2 weeks ago: https://teenage.engineering/products/op-1 It looks like a toy, and kind of plays like one, but it's actually a marvellous piece of gear, very capable musically, and providing a fantastic user experience. There's just nothing else like it out there. The company itself is very unique. Just look at what they came up with [1] for O…
This OP-1 reminds me of the Casio VL-1 [1], made famous (in Germany at least) by the pop band Trio in their NDW (Neue Deutsche Welle) song Da Da Da [2] [3]. I wonder whether that's accidental, or an homage. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casio_VL-1 [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Da_Da_Da [3] for example about 1:25 into this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNYcviXK4rg
From what I recall, it's definitely an homage.
Re: Playdate – A New Handheld Gaming System
#326Earlier quoted context omitted.
TE does big things for IKEA, we have been trying to run circles around, trying to get more IKEA business, but TE is naturally ahead with them being Swedish
IKEA? STFU. I bet there’s some cool nerd code I can comment that alerts the mods when a kiddie bot vomits on a post. I dim care for
...what?
Re: Playdate – A New Handheld Gaming System
#327Earlier quoted context omitted.
Another great online game resource: http://labs.phaser.io/ Not affiliated, just also interested in new and emerging easy to use game systems, and this is just the latest in a long line of them I've been playing with ..
tried phaser a year back - it was not very dev friendly - you had to be phaser expert to make sense of it
We built a few small web games with phaser. It was very easy to start and also easy to finish. You can prototype with it very quickly and there are a lot of resources explaining things to you. Recommend.
I don't know about changes in the last 2 years, haven't used it since then, maybe it's changed for worse but can't imagine
Re: Playdate – A New Handheld Gaming System
#328This company seems well aware they aren't a match for Nintendo. Based on the comments, Hacker News does not seem very aware. Much like how Teenage Engineering's OP-1 is not competitively priced. This is another example of an insightfully designed, well built product for adults. Older millenials looking for a sentimental package so they can feel like it's their 8th birthday again. They are reunboxing a gameboy color.…
Absolutely. I never had a Gameboy, so now I hope I can kind of make up for the missed experiences with this gadget.
Just buy a Gameboy. Good games are timeless.
Re: Playdate – A New Handheld Gaming System
#329Not to discount the hardware, which looks absolutely beautiful, but what strikes me the most is the business model. A new game, every Monday, delivered wirelessly to your pocket. What excites me about Playdate is that it is something only an outsider with no attachments to existing business relationships could make. Games released today are still encumbered by the regional and geographic thinking of traditional softw…
I'm actually really dreading the Apple Arcade business model. The game developers are compensated by time spent in their game. This means that, similar to the current craze for open world games, shorter, more experimental games will simply earn less. Thus, meaningful content will be stretched even thinner to fill up more of the user's time. It's another nail in the coffin of single player narrative experiences.
Streaming services, like Google's recently announced Stadia will probably have similar compensation models.
Re: Playdate – A New Handheld Gaming System
#330Earlier quoted context omitted.
It is partially designed by https://teenage.engineering of Sweden, they apparently among other things came up with the crank.
I was really surprised to hear this. Although I live in Sweden I don’t think I’ve ever heard about TE before. Usually Spotify and Klarna gets the majority of the tech news coverage around here. TE seems like a really interesting company!
Teenage Engineer and Elektron are two beloved companies of the synth world from Sweden